Old photos of sheiks in Mirages and F-16s adorn the marble hallways of the Armed Forces Officers Club and Hotel, venue for the Gulf C4ISR conference. At the army headquarters in downtown Abu Dhabi, a new trend is emerging. The United Arab Emirates is trying to connect its fragmented military networks into a modern, seamless network so that the country's commanders can use their fighter jets and troops more quickly and more effectively. The military terminology and doctrine behind this effort would be familiar to military intelligence experts from NATO, the UK and the US, some of whom have briefed the UAE. The UAE Joint Forces Commander operates a 24/7 joint operations center where personnel from all elements of the UAE Armed Forces monitor defense readings of aircraft, ships and radars. The system, however, is not as powerful as the UAE wants it to be. The country's military network, which they call Al Sheryan, has "limited" capabilities, according to retired UAE Air Force General Khalid Abdullah Al Bu-Ainnain, who spoke about it in a presentation and in a paper released at the conference, “A vision for transforming the UAE Armed Forces into network-centric operations.” Al Bu-Ainnain is the country's strongest advocate for the creation of an American-style "national global information grid" integrating Al Sheryan and wireless satellite communications. His views carry weight in the UAE due to his military experience and his current role as chairman of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis (INEGMA), a think tank with offices in the Emirates United Arabs. and in Lebanon. “To obtain more accurate and timely ISR information, the planning, allocation and execution process of the UAE Armed Forces also needs to be improved,” he wrote...... middle of paper ......for adversaries “are always planning and organizing an attack. It does not define the type of preventive actions the UAE could take. Although UAE officials have not discussed it publicly, several participants said Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile work is a major driver behind the UAE's efforts to improve its air defenses and command systems. and control. Almost coincidentally, shortly before the conference, the United States announced steps it would take with its Gulf region allies, including the United Arab Emirates, to strengthen missile defenses to counter Iran. Speaking at Georgetown University and then at the Institute for the Study of War in Washington, Gen. David Petraeus of Central Command said U.S. Patriot missile batteries had been installed in four countries in the region and that Aegis anti-missile ships patrol the Persian Gulf “any time from now on.”